OUR APPROACH

Missional Theology & Practice:

The Unifying Core of Our Training


The Church’s missionary mandate does not merely rest on the Great Commission passages alone. Rather, the whole Bible itself is a missional phenomenon. It is both the product of and witness to the ultimate mission of God. So mission is not just one item on a list of things that the Bible is about. It’s what it’s all about. 


The reason we have the Bible is that the Triune God is on a mission to reveal himself and his salvation to the world. From beginning to end, it is an epic story of God’s mission through God’s people to save God’s world. This story finds its climax and center in the good news of Jesus Christ. 


The missional theology that unifies and shapes our whole program draws on the works of Lesslie Newbigin, Harvie Conn, Christopher Wright, Michael Goheen and others to make the following contributions to our students’ theological development:


  • Missional theology is framed by the Scriptures’ witness to the mission of God, which is revealed through the Bible’s unified story and culminates in the gospel of Jesus Christ.


  • Missional theology recognizes the missional nature of the Church. It is both the means and fruit of God’s missionary activity in the world, "a sign, instrument, and foretaste" of God's coming kingdom.


  • Missional theology equips the Church to live as a distinctive counter-cultural people as we bear witness to Jesus Christ in word and deed. 


  • Missional theology recognizes that every Christian has a role to play in God’s mission and seeks to equip leaders to know how to “equip the saints for the work of ministry” (Eph. 4:12)


  • Missional theology explores the relationship between the comprehensiveness of God’s mission (i.e., restoring all things under his loving rule) and its ultimate horizon (i.e., the ends of the earth and all peoples). 


An Integrated Approach

In 1 Timothy, Paul reminds Timothy that he has been “trained in the words of the faith and the good doctrine” (4:6). He exhorts him to train himself for godliness and set an example for the believers in Christ-like character (4:7-10, 12). He urges him to devote himself to “the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (4:13) and to “practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress” (4:15).


The experienced Paul wanted the young Timothy to grow not only in understanding sound doctrine but in Christ-like character and ministry competency. By doing so, he would gain humble confidence in God’s call into ministry leadership through the corporate affirmation of the church.


In the same way, we seek to allow the gospel of Jesus Christ to shape our minds, hearts, and ministries. The goal is the same as Paul had for Timothy - a growing competency and humble confidence in God’s call into ministry leadership through the corporate affirmation of the church.

Three Components

SHAPING HOW WE THINK, LOVE & LIVE

We integrate rigorous theological education, heart-level mentoring, and hands-on ministry opportunities designed to shape not only how we think, but also what we love and how we live.







We believe that transformative learning happens best when it is holistic and highly relational. 

  • We form small cohorts of 8-14 students for a highly participatory style of learning.
  • Students commit to learning together for all 3 years, helping each other complete the program.





Accessible & Affordable

DESIGNED FOR STUDENTS PREPARING FOR ministry leadership

Our program works best for students who are in a residency or internship program with a local church or ministry.

  • Core courses on one day during the week.
  • Practicum assignments in the context of your ministry. 
  • Flexible scheduling for the mentoring program


Because of the generosity of our faculty and partners, we are able to offer affordable training.

  • MDiv Program approximately $6,400/year 
  • Certificate Program $300/per semester
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